


& You Seek the Familiar

by eggshellseas



Series: Sure as hell ain't best friends [6]
Category: All Elite Wrestling, Being The Elite (Web Series), Professional Wrestling
Genre: Anxiety, Awkwardness, But make it dysfunctional, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Other: See Story Notes, Sexual Content, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:22:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28734891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggshellseas/pseuds/eggshellseas
Summary: Kenny takes Adam home with him for the first time; Adam worries about all the opportunity that gives him to screw up.
Relationships: Kenny Omega/"Hangman" Adam Page
Series: Sure as hell ain't best friends [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822132
Comments: 35
Kudos: 33





	1. Thursday I don't care about you

**Author's Note:**

> Additional content note: Adam has both intrusive and deliberate thoughts about Kenny (and himself + Kenny) having sex with other people
> 
> We're now in late July, around Being the Elite 214

"The thing is - the thing is, it was only supposed to be one, two matches max," Adam said. He couldn't quite remember what had prompted him to try and explain what the thing with his tag team was. "What'd you ask me again?"

"I asked you how you ended up teaming together anyway," Dax repeated.

"Oh, right." Adam nodded to himself, and topped off all three of their drinks. "Heh, you know, it's funny, I think it was because Matt and Nick thought it'd be _therapeutic_ for us."

"Bet they regret that one," Cash said, nudging his elbow into Dax’s arm.

"Probably. Probably," Dax grinned. "Must shake 'em to the core not being the best tag team in their own group, much less the world."

Adam snorted, staring into his glass. "Kenny still thinks they are. The best in the world, I mean."

Which was just - Kenny was so stupid sometimes. He was, and that couldn't be argued, but Adam still felt queasy when Cash chuckled, "What a simp," because that wasn't - Kenny just - he loved his friends with blind loyalty, and even if it was sometimes annoying and made him jealous, Adam still wouldn't - he didn't like it being made to sound like it was something gross about Kenny.

“Do you even like teaming with Omega? You seem like more of a loner type,” one of them said. Adam wasn't sure which; if he wasn't looking right at them their voices blurred a little.

He opened his mouth, then paused, realizing he wasn’t sure of the answer to that question. What could he tell Cash and Dax? That he didn’t love the circumstances, but teaming with Kenny had gotten him a title belt? How he could barely stand to be in the same room as Matt and Nick, but most of the time it felt like he needed Kenny more than he wanted to get away from The Elite? There were times when he didn't want to let Kenny out of his sight, because what if he tripped and fell on someone else's dick? Or finally realized Adam was an irredeemable fuck-up, and that he was better off without him? What if the _actual_ love of Kenny's life, who Adam wasn't ever going to measure up to, suddenly showed up, defying all reason and travel bans? But there were also times when he felt like Kenny was smothering him just by existing, just by being Kenny Omega, with all the accomplishments and the reputation that name carried. 

And on top of all that being codependent and dysfunctional, it was also patently ridiculous, because Adam only spent a day or two a week around Kenny, but it just - it was all he really had going on: Kenny and the tag titles.

There was a good ol' boy part of him that wanted to brag he was hitting that - that, sure, he liked teaming with Kenny, because Kenny was an amazing lay. It was true, but that wasn't all he was, and there were already issues between Kenny and them. Adam wanted - he wasn't sure what he wanted - not for them all to be friends, but not for them to disrespect Kenny either, because, yes, Kenny could be cringey, and kind of a prick, but he was still - he was Kenny Omega, and that _meant_ something. At least if Adam was mean to him he had the decency to feel like an asshole and beat himself up about it afterwards.

"I think you broke him," Cash - it was definitely Cash, said, and Adam realized he'd been staring into space for an inappropriate amount of time.

He chuckled to acknowledge the comment and very belatedly answered, "Yes and no." 

"No offense to your partner, but I never got the hype," Dax said.

Adam polished off his whiskey and poured himself another. Should he be defending Kenny's honor? It sort of felt like he should, but he was real short on friends these days, and shorter still on drinking buddies.

"Some flash, some pageantry, pretty flips," Dax continued.

 _I do flips_ , Adam didn't say.

"It's all about presentation for a lot of these guys," Cash nodded, "Most of 'em don't know the first thing about grappling. All you gotta do is ground 'em, and it's a turkey shoot."

"Ground and pound," Dax smirked, raising his glass in a little toast.

And Adam, because he was drunk, and because he was an idiot whose brain liked to torment him with thoughts of Kenny fucking other people, had the image of the two of them _pounding_ Kenny flash across his mind. Too easily, it blinked for a second and became the Bucks, which made Adam feel like he needed a shower.

His imagination could slot Kenny into any number of combinations. A clear-as-day flashback to two years ago had Adam remembering himself holding Kenny for Cody to attack, a moment he wasn't proud of, and one that hadn't, at the time, held any kind of sexual undercurrent, but now Adam could tilt the picture sideways - Kenny still on his knees, but in a more intimate setting, less clothing, Cody without a chair...

Like he was caught in a current, Adam was swept from that memory to vague recollections from that same period of Cody hypothesizing about Kenny and Ibushi's bedroom activities. He'd always tried to tune Cody out when he got like that, but apparently some of it had wormed its way in - Cody waxing poetic about how kinky they probably were, about Kota's mouth, about how Kenny must have the skills of a high paid whore to be with someone as gorgeous as Ibushi. Adam hadn't wanted to hear it, hadn't wanted to acknowledge how creepy it was, because Cody was his friend.

And now he was the creep, stitching those bits and pieces into a Frankenstein of a fantasy where he was holding Kenny for Ibushi. From behind, Adam wouldn't have to see the naked adoration on Kenny's face. He'd seen the way they were together in their public moments, the way they looked at each other; he could only assume that Kenny would be even more unguarded in private, painfully so, confirming all of Adam's insecurities. Weren't threesome fantasies supposed to be hot? The idea should've been hot; Ibushi was a very attractive man. It was possible that Adam thought about Ibushi during sex more than Kenny actually did, just by virtue of how often he wondered _if_ Kenny did, and - why, why, _why_ was he _like_ this?

Why, if he jerked off while feeling particularly self-loathing, did he think about Kenny cucking him? Adam had a whole scenario outlined that he would revisit, which started with him being unable to get hard, and then Kenny mercilessly mocking him for his self-inflicted erectile dysfunction. He would imagine Kenny telling him how he'd have to go elsewhere to get his needs met, that he'd have to fuck - a fill-in-the-blank spot in Adam's loose script. Matt or Nick were hurtful in a boner killing way, Adam had discovered. Moxley worked alright, but generally he went with one of the monsters on the roster - someone he didn't have any personal issue with, but would still feel like a threat to his manhood, like Cage, or Wardlow or Archer. And Adam would imagine being forced to watch Kenny get fucked, impotent in every sense of the word, while they both laughed at him, Kenny saying, "Look at that big, useless cock. It's wasted on a pathetic drunk like Page," cruel like Adam knew Kenny could be, though he'd never really turned it on Adam, not even when he'd deserved it.

Generally, Adam would blow his load at around that point of the fantasy, to be followed swiftly by a shame spiral. _Blue Chew on that, motherfucker_ , indeed.

"You still with us, man?" Someone asked, shaking his shoulder? Was it Matt? No, that wasn't right. Fuck the Revival? That wasn't right either. Those days were long gone.

Adam forced a laugh. "Sorry, just thinkin' too much." He needed to put a stop to it, and he knew how to make all the thoughts go away. "Come on, keep up," he said, pouring another round.

"Right behind you," Dax-Cash-whoever replied.

-

Adam woke up still at Daily's, on the floor of the EVP dressing room. His head was pounding and his back screamed at him when he stood and tried to stretch. He couldn't remember how the night had ended, but it was nauseatingly easy to retrace the drunken logic of the why of his location. He wouldn't have wanted to go back to Kenny as drunk as he'd been, and it had probably seemed like too much trouble to try and figure out the number of the other hotel room he never actually used, so he would've just crashed here. Why he was on the floor instead of the couch would have to remain a mystery. He wondered what explanation he'd given to the FTR boys for them to have left without him - hopefully nothing too embarrassing or compromising.

He had two texts from Kenny: one asking if he'd be back, and another saying he was going to bed and to not be late in the morning. It was so very restrained, no hint of anger, but Adam still felt anxiety settle like a stone in his stomach.

It was Thursday morning, and he wasn't driving back to North Carolina; he was going to Kenny's house, and this wasn't exactly the best way to kick that off.

He changed, stuffed his gear into his suitcase, and requested a car. On his way out, he snagged some sunglasses from the male talent locker room because everything was too bright. He wasn't sure who they belonged to, and he told himself he'd put them back before the next show.

At the hotel, he walked through the lobby and out a side door back into the parking lot so it would reasonably look like he had stayed there, and hadn't just been dropped off, just to keep his bases covered. He was right on time to meet Kenny at his SUV, and that luck felt very undeserved.

For a moment, Kenny smiled, and it was like a sunbeam smacking Adam in the face. Kenny looked rumpled and tired, but still happy to see him, and that was incredible to Adam, just outright unbelievable that Kenny would look at him like that and mean it.

"What'd you do last night?" Kenny asked mildly as he started putting bags in the trunk, abruptly all business.

He was sure Kenny at least knew he'd been drinking, and who with, but he wasn't about to tell him he hadn't even made it back to the hotel, or how hungover he felt, though Kenny would probably sniff that last one out. He wasn't _completely_ oblivious.

Adam tugged Kenny to him by his hips, bumping his chest into Kenny's back. "Did you miss me?" He murmured, nosing at the side of Kenny's neck. "You're gonna get plenty of me this week, as much of my dick as you can handle."

Kenny laughed uncomfortably and twisted free. It was clear why when Nakazawa appeared a moment later brandishing a drink tray. "Good morning," he said cheerily, taking one of the cups and holding it out for Adam.

"Hey, thanks, man," Adam said, surprised at the gesture.

He'd asked Kenny, when they were first discussing spending the week together, if Michael Nakazawa knew they were fucking.

"He's not an idiot," Kenny had said prissily, as if insulted on Nakazawa's behalf. Adam chose not to ask what that meant about Matt and Nick, then, if they hadn't figured it out.

Knowing he knew made Adam self-conscious around the man. It was a little intimidating how far back his friendship with Kenny went. He was one of the nicest people Adam had ever met, but that didn't do much to calm Adam's paranoia about being compared to Ibushi, considering that outside of Kenny and Ibushi themselves, Nakazawa probably had the most insight into their relationship. 

He also had no idea if Nakazawa thought he was coming along as Kenny's fuck buddy, or like, his boyfriend or something. Fuck, Adam didn't even know which _he_ thought it was, or, for that matter, what he wanted it to be. 

"Let's hit the old," Kenny drew the last word out, then, completely incongruously, pretended to swing a baseball bat, made a popping noise, and finished up with, "dusty trail."

Adam shook his head, chuckling at Kenny's oddness. He went for the back door, but Nakazawa made a disapproving noise. "No, no, you take the front," Nakazawa said, making a shooing gesture. Adam had hoped to nap in the back, but Nakazawa was so insistent that it was too awkward not to comply.

It was only a couple hours to Orlando. That, along with not having to drive, were a welcome break for Adam. For the first thirty or so minutes they mostly made small talk about the previous night's show, the newest signings, and BTE. Kenny eventually put some music on, which let Adam lean his forehead against the window and zone out for a while.

He dimly heard Nakazawa say something to Kenny in Japanese, but his attention was piqued when Kenny's reply, also in Japanese, sounded testy in tone. Adam didn't want to seem overly nosy, but he sat up and made a questioning noise, glancing over at Kenny. 

"Nothing," Kenny said with a dismissive flick of his wrist.

"What?" Adam asked, suspicious now. He saw Kenny glance up to the rearview mirror to make eye contact with Nakazawa, and Adam bristled. "If he has a -" he twisted to look at Nakazawa and address him directly. "Do you have a problem with me?"

"Page," Kenny said sharply, like Adam had just walked into a room and taken a shit on the floor.

His chest clenching viciously, Adam immediately said sorry to Nakazawa, and then, more curtly, to Kenny as well. He felt hot with shame and anger. After an awkward silence, Nakazawa said, "Sorry, I thought maybe you were sleeping, or I would've stayed in English. I just asked Kenny if he had to bribe you to stay in Florida."

"Oh," Adam said, sort of relieved, but mostly wanting to die. "Yeah, I'm just here to see Dobby."

That earned him a slight smile from Nakazawa, and a loud guffaw from Kenny. "He's worth it," Kenny said, beaming like a proud parent.

At the halfway point, they made a quick stop for gas. Adam was still feeling the embarrassment of his outburst like curdled milk in his stomach. He fled to the gas station restroom, locking himself in a stall as a wave of anxiety made him break into a cold sweat. What was he _doing_? He could blame being a dick to Nakazawa on being tired and hungover, but the truth was he just _sucked_ , as a person, and he was going to keep embarrassing himself all week, and spending that much time with Kenny was so - it was just - it was relationship suicide, was what it was.

He told himself he wasn't trapped. He was a financially independent adult. He could get an Uber to the airport, if he needed, if he was too much of a failure to stick it out. But the real problem was what if Kenny hated him after a week? Why wouldn't he? Maybe the only reason he didn't hate Adam yet was a lack of exposure. Adam pressed his hands to his face, and tried to focus on his breathing. Someone came in and used one of the urinals. When they left again, Adam forced himself to the sink to wash his hands and cup cold water to his cheeks. He still felt lightheaded and nauseous, but back from the edge of panic.

Kenny was mulling over candy when Adam emerged. "What should we get?" he asked, tapping a finger against his mouth like the decision was taking some serious consideration.

"Whatever you want," Adam answered absently, apparently enough to catch Kenny's attention.

"Everything okay?" Kenny's concern was so sweet and genuine that it felt cloying.

"Yeah, just, um, think the coffee is, uh-" He put his hand on his stomach to suggest that it was upset.

"I know that feeling." Kenny said, nodding in sympathy.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna get some water," Adam said, inching away.

The stomach lie, and it wasn't even really a lie, at least gave him a reason to swap seats with Nakazawa. He kept his eyes closed so they wouldn't try and include him in the conversation, and kept forcing himself to do deep breathing exercises. He liked listening to the two of them as background noise. They switched back and forth between English and Japanese as they talked, making it easy to not try and decipher what was being said, and just be soothed by the pleasant tones and frequent laughter. Occasionally, Kenny would sing a snippet of something, always off-key.

He avoided Nakazawa's eyes when he said goodbye and apologized again to him. And then they were at Kenny's - his modern, streamlined condo that didn't really seem to fit his personality, except perhaps in that it reflected Kenny prioritizing his career over his personal life. It was clear to Adam that it was just a place to stay for Kenny.

Adam was genuinely excited about Dobby, but he dutifully helped unload the car first. He'd brought a twenty-four pack, which he'd asked Kenny's approval for, since he wanted to put his beer in the fridge, but there was also a bottle of Jack in his suitcase that Kenny didn't need to know about. Right after that, though, he plunked himself down on the kitchen floor and let Dobby walk back and forth over his legs, rubbing against his hands and purring. Kenny hovered, looking both adoring and nervous, and he anxiously explained that sometimes Dobby got over excited and would bite, but Adam reassured him he knew cats, and when Dobby's tail started twitching, he left him alone and stood back up to let Kenny take him on a quick tour of the house.

When they got to the bedroom, Kenny toppled Adam onto the bed and sprung up to land on his knees straddling Adam's hips. "Let's christen this place," he said with a playful grin.

"Wow, getting right down to business," Adam teased. Kenny wiggled goofily on top of him, making Adam laugh. He couldn't quite tell yet if Kenny was genuinely trying to initiate something, so he ran his hands up Kenny's thighs and squeezed at the juncture of his hips, something that wasn't overtly an escalation. Kenny smiled predatorily, his eyes narrowed. Adam had just enough time to think that he liked Kenny looking at him like that before Kenny leaned down and his face got too close for Adam to really see his full expression.

"Oh shit," Adam yelled, startled by Dobby suddenly jumping onto the bed right next to his face.

Kenny laughed and stood, scooping the cat up, and pet Dobby's head as he crooned, "You have to go outside now. You're not allowed to see what's about to happen." He set Dobby in the hall and closed the door. Dobby immediately started meowing, and, a moment later, just as Kenny was kneeling on the bed again, a little paw reached under the door.

"Oh no," Adam said, cracking up. "We're monsters."

"Yes, it's _so_ terrible. He has the _worst_ life," Kenny said, his voice still pitched high and sing-songy. As if agreeing, Dobby yowled pitifully.

Adam sat up and pressed his face into Kenny's shoulder, still snickering. "Oh my God, I can't - I'm sorry, I can't have a hard-on while it sounds like your cat is crying."

"That's fair," Kenny said with another laugh. "You want me to put some music on?"

"No, _I_ want to put some music on - none of your bleep-bloop stuff."

"Oh, don't be one of _those_ people," Kenny chided, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, let me pick the music."

"Fine," Kenny sighed, but his eyes were twinkling. He grabbed a tablet off his nightstand and unlocked it before handing to Adam. "But nothing that sounds like a sad cowboy getting existential about, like, his way of life dying out, or any other sad bastard stuff," Kenny said sternly before he let go.

"That's...so specific," Adam said with a wry blink and tilt of his head.

Kenny gave him a look like he was daring Adam to tell him he was wrong, which, to his credit, Adam couldn't. He put on some Fleetwood Mac, which seemed like a safe choice. Kenny had moved back to lean against the pillows. His legs were stretched out and his ankles crossed, and his little white socks were supremely unsexy. Adam felt a fondness for them he didn't really understand, and he reached over to drag his thumbnail over the sole of Kenny's foot.

"That feels weird," Kenny protested with a huffy laugh, pulling his knees up to escape. He looked like he expected Adam to try again, or was maybe just waiting to see what he would do next. Adam stood and took off his jeans and socks so he was left in his boxers and t-shirt, then sat next to Kenny.

"So you haven't...entertained anyone in here?" Adam asked, rubbing his palm on the bedspread.

"Only myself," Kenny said with a soft laugh. "I don't think that counts, though." After a moment he shoved at Adam's arm playfully and said, "It's not like I've had this place that long."

"Hey, I wasn't judging," Adam assured him. He thought it was damn nifty, actually, but he wasn't about to tell Kenny that, knowing the whole - _thing_ \- he had about sexual competition was, at best, pretty fucked up. Although, really, _some_ of the blame was on Kenny - for saying he wasn't going to fuck anyone else, for getting Adam hooked on the feeling of coming inside of him, for being so willing to do whatever Adam wanted in bed.

Kenny turned on his side and slid down the mattress a little so he was lying down. Adam followed suit and mirrored him. Kenny smiled at him, sweet and boyish with his gap-teeth, way too innocent to be trusted.

"What?" Adam asked suspiciously.

"It's just, you're in my actual bed. It's nice," Kenny said, and he said it so _easily_ , like it cost him nothing.

"It is nice," Adam agreed, and then backpedaled a little by adding, "It's a nice bed."

Kenny kept looking at him with a soft expression. It still seemed like he was waiting for Adam to do something. Adam wasn't sure what - grab him, or climb on top of him or pull him into a kiss, maybe, but Adam really didn't feel up to taking the lead. He felt heavy and drained from the strain of being anxious all morning.

"Can we nap before christening anything?" He asked quietly, gripping the pillow under his head tightly and avoiding eye contact, because nothing about this came easily to him. 

"You can nap," Kenny said, poking Adam in the chest.

That wouldn't do. Adam wanted Kenny touching him, and maybe to tell him again that it was nice that he was here. He couldn't voice it, so instead he groaned in protest and wrapped his arm around Kenny's waist to close the distance between them. "Come on, take a nap with me," he wheedled.

Kenny squirmed a little in Adam's grip, but he wasn't making much of an effort to get away. "I'm not napping," he said firmly. "But I will cuddle for a little bit. You better not try to make me be lazy all week." He poked Adam again, this time on his chin.

Adam made a noise of vague agreement. He wasn't willing to face how Kenny outright calling it cuddling made him feel, so he glossed right over that, because it _was_ what he wanted. He shifted onto his back and tucked Kenny closer against his side, then pulled Kenny's leg across his body, and slid his hand up under the hem of Kenny's shorts to rest on his thigh. With his other hand, he pushed Kenny's shirt up so he could touch bare skin there too. He was fascinated by the accordion bend of Kenny's waist, evidence of how hard he worked to be bigger than the build of his natural frame. He stroked his fingers over the folds there, and felt Kenny's breath picking up a little from being moved around like a doll, arranged to Adam's liking.

When Adam gave him a slight, knowing smirk, Kenny smiled sheepishly and hid his face against Adam's chest. This was how Adam liked Kenny best, when he was sweet and pliant, and not asking Adam anything about how much he'd had to drink, or if he was drunk, or if he thought maybe he should cut back on the alcohol a little. But it wasn't real, or it was only real sometimes, or Adam was just an asshole, because Kenny was a whole person, and it wasn't fair to only want him when he was letting Adam use him like a security blanket or sex toy. That felt like an important conclusion to hang on to, but it slipped out of his grasp, swallowed up by fog as Adam drifted off.

-

When he woke up again, Adam was alone. Kenny had apparently been serious about not napping. He was groggy and disoriented, and not sure how long he'd been out, but at least his hangover was gone.

He found Kenny downstairs playing a video game. "Hey, sleepyhead," Kenny smiled. He paused his game and set the controller aside. "Hungry?"

Once he said it, it hit Adam that he was. He trailed Kenny to the kitchen, and watched Kenny flutter nervously, opening and closing the fridge and freezer doors, and then some cabinets. "I'm sorry I don't have much to offer. Just meal delivery stuff, mostly," Kenny apologized.

"That's fine," Adam told him. 

"We can order groceries tomorrow, I figured," Kenny said, still sounding apologetic. He took a small stack of plastic containers out of the fridge and placed them on the island in front of Adam. "You can pick anything you like. As many as you like, even," he offered magnanimously.

Adam chose the most boring one he could find, something with chicken, and set it apart from the others. "Could I get some water?" He asked, since he didn't know where the glasses were.

Kenny looked stricken. "Shit, of course. Fuck, sorry. I'm so bad at this. Nak is pretty much the only person who's ever over here."

"It's okay. It's fine," Adam said, laughing a little. He caught Kenny's wrist and then took Kenny's face in his hands and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'll heat 'em up if you'll pick something to watch," Kenny said, pleased and blushing.

It was all maybe a little stiff and formal from the newness of it. It wasn't like being in the EVP office, or the hotel - the familiar, cluttered spaces they normally shared, but it wasn't wholly uncomfortable either, to sit on Kenny's couch eating premade meals with real silverware, while Dobby begged for some of their food. Kenny gave him a few bits of salmon, telling Dobby how spoiled he was with a guilty smile. And since he'd set the precedent, Adam tore off some chicken for him as well, because he wanted Dobby to like him.

-

They didn't end up christening anything until the following morning. Kenny got up and fed the cat, and then came back to bed and plastered himself against Adam, letting his hands roam lightly across Adam's back and sides.

"You want something?" Adam asked, his voice still rough from sleep.

"Yeah, cowboy," Kenny said with a sunny smile, rolling into his back and pulling Adam on top of him.

Adam fucked him in missionary position, which wasn't in itself unusual for them, but everything combined - being in Kenny's bedroom instead of a hotel, the slow, lazy pace, it felt like they were roleplaying at conventionality. Kenny even had the sheets hiked up, held in his fist resting at the base of Adam's spine, keeping their lower limbs covered. He joked that it was in case Dobby walked in - at least, Adam _thought_ he was joking, but not being entirely sure made it funnier, that Kenny might just be that weird, and anyway it was so _nice_ \- the sheet soft and cool against his skin.

Kenny was making breathy little noises, quieter than usual, which was also funny, because it was probably the first time there weren't people just on the other side of a wall from them. He looked hazy, but happy, and Adam thought he was probably enjoying the novelty of it all as well.

After he came, Adam jerked Kenny off with slow, tight pulls, whispering, because it felt wrong to break the quiet atmosphere, that he was going to make sure Kenny was dripping with him all week, going to keep him so full. Kenny dug his fingers into Adam's back, and, just as hushed, breathed out a stream of yes's and please's as he came. Kenny was prone to making ridiculous faces when he came, but sometimes, if Adam was just the right amount of gentle, and it didn't hit Kenny too much all at once, it was a thing of beauty to watch him orgasm - his lips parted and his head tipped back, eyes falling closed as he bared his neck, all the muscles of his shoulders and chest in stark relief.

Adam wiped his hand off on Kenny's hip, and Kenny laughed, bright and bubbly, and pulled the covers up over Adam's shoulders and rubbed their noses together. Adam ducked closer to kiss him, and, as Kenny sighed contentedly against his mouth, it struck Adam clearly for the first time, _Fuck, we're dating, aren't we?_


	2. Sunday always comes too late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of chcolates or flowers I got you some angst for Valentine's Day.

Per Kenny, Saturday Morning Cartoons was a sacrosanct tradition. 

The difference in their ages, while not huge, was just enough that it meant they didn't have many overlapping pop culture touchstones. Adam would have been totally content to curl up on the couch without giving the tv much of his attention, but apparently it was very important to Kenny that they find the exact right cartoon to watch. 

"What shows did you like when you were a kid?" Kenny asked, then steepled his hands in front of his mouth and closed his eyes, like he was readying himself for deep concentration on Adam's reply. Adam almost felt like it was a test, or like Kenny might read his future based on the answer. 

"Mostly Nickelodeon stuff, I guess: _Rugrats, Doug, Hey Arnold,_ you know, that stuff," Adam said, with Kenny nodding thoughtfully at each title mentioned. "But we did watch the Saturday morning WB shows."

That got a pop from Kenny. "Batman?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah, for sure." Adam couldn't help smiling at Kenny's enthusiasm.

"Yes, of course. Why didn't I think of it sooner? _Batman: The Animated Series,_ that will do nicely," Kenny said, sounding very much like a cartoon villain. "Very nicely indeed." He gave an impressively evil laugh, which made Adam laugh, but like a normal person.

Kenny pulled the show up, started it from the first episode, then immediately paused it to figure out how he wanted them positioned for the viewing. Adam still didn't really get why Kenny was making such a production out of it, but he let Kenny fuss and prod at him until Kenny was stretched out on his back, and Adam was lying on his stomach between Kenny's legs, his head on Kenny's chest.

"Who's your favorite: Superman or Batman?" Kenny asked after the episode while the end credits were playing.

"Come on, Batman," Adam scoffed. "Does anyone like Superman more?"

Kenny laughed. "Some people must. They have to be out there somewhere."

"Losers," Adam said, and Kenny laughed again, his chest vibrating under Adam's cheek.

"You're kinda like Superman," Kenny said thoughtfully. "You're both hunky farm boys."

"I'll take it," Adam chuckled. "Then who would you be?"

"Hm, good question. Like in the DC Universe, or just in Superman?"

"Superman."

"That's tough. He has a pretty lame rogue's gallery. The animated Lex Luthor is pretty cool, but way too straight. Braniac is boring. Darkseid is boring."

"Why do you have to be a villain?" Adam cut in.

"Well I'm not going to be a _sidekick,_ " Kenny said disdainfully. "Batman has all the cool villains _and_ sidekicks. It's really unfair. I guess that's the tradeoff for being so overpowered."

"You don't want to be my Lois Lane?" Adam asked with a fake pout.

"I mean, not saying she's not a badass in her own right, but who wants to be just human in this scenario?" Then Kenny made another 'hm' noise, drawn out and hitting a few different notes, before suddenly exclaiming, "Lobo! Oh fuck yeah, definitely Lobo," jumping a little in excitement underneath Adam.

"The fuck is that?" Adam asked in reply.

Kenny giggled to himself and said, "We'll watch that episode later. You'll see."

They fell silent again as the next episode started. One of Kenny's hands was in his hair, absentmindedly scratching Adam's scalp now and then. Adam rucked the hem of Kenny's shirt up so he could hold onto Kenny's waist, feeling a low thrum of pleasure throughout his body - not quite arousal, but the possibility was there, if he wanted to stoke that fire. Kenny seemed completely absorbed by the show, though, so Adam let it be, just enjoying the physical contact for what it was.

He tried to think about this becoming their routine, but like anytime he tried to visualize a future with Kenny, all he got was a terrifying void that made him crave a steadying drink. It wasn't that he disliked the idea necessarily, more that it just seemed improbable. He was too convinced Kenny would somehow end up back with Ibushi.

Even in the shorter term - things like being out at work, or Kenny meeting his family, all of it felt ludicrous to contemplate. Not like they _couldn't,_ but like - why would Kenny want to deal with any of that? Adam was sure Kenny would take offense if he called him a city boy, but that's exactly what he'd seem like back home. Kenny could be charming and polite, but he was shit at camouflage, at fitting in. There was no way he'd click with Adam's relatives, and, even if unintentionally, he'd somehow end up making Adam feel embarrassed about where he came from - Adam just knew it.

But at some point those things had to come up, right? They'd been - whatever they were doing together - for six months - just over six months, actually, which Adam knew because the anniversary of them becoming champions was also the anniversary of him fucking Kenny for the first time. Technically, Adam supposed it had been after midnight, and on the next day, but they fell so close together that it formed a knot of dread in Adam's chest about what would happen if they lost the belts. _When_ they lost the belts. They'd have to, eventually; no title reign lasted forever.

God, his heart was pounding, and his face was hot. Kenny had to feel it.

As if on cue, Kenny's fingers stilled on his head. "Pizz, you okay?" Kenny asked. He tried to sit up, but Adam sandbagged him to prevent it.

"Yeah," he said, aiming to sound casual, maybe even a little confused as to why Kenny would be asking. He lifted his head enough to press a kiss to Kenny's stomach. "Hard not to get a little worked up is all. You know I love having you under me." And nothing about that was technically a lie. He flashed a smirk up at Kenny, and then bent and bit Kenny below his belly button, where there was the slightest bump of fat, making Kenny squirm. 

"Jerk," Kenny said with a crooked smile, like he wasn't quite convinced. He reached behind himself for a pillow and went to hit Adam in the head with it. Adam threw his arm up to deflect, and accidentally knocked the pillow towards the coffee table, where it overturned his coffee mug and sent a startled Dobby zooming out of the room.

The rush to clean up the spill, and Kenny's rant about the horrible decor choice that was white carpet and upholstery thankfully made him forget to ask any follow-up questions about Adam's mood.

-

Adam knew that Kenny played a lot of video games, obviously, but it was still weird to actually see.

He sometimes had his Switch with him in Jacksonville, and would be on it before bed, or if he had free time backstage, but he was usually so busy on show days that Adam didn't see him bust it out very often. He also didn't do any gaming, or any of that Twitch stuff with the roster (which, great - Adam didn't need anything new to get weird and territorial about Kenny over).

That afternoon, Kenny told him he needed to get some gaming time in like he was talking about work he had to get done. "It's very important," he explained in complete seriousness, "If I want to maintain my skill level."

Kenny suggested they squad up and play _Call of Duty_ together, but Adam didn't want to embarrass himself with his inexperience. Kenny asked him a few more times if he was sure, or if there was anything else he wanted to play, but Adam assured him he could keep himself entertained. "Okay, but let me know if you get bored, or you want to join me," Kenny told him, still seeming concerned, then kissed him and added, "You're the best," which felt a little patronizing.

Adam went for a jog, and on his way out noticed Kenny had a charcoal grill sitting in a corner of his garage, which surprised him, since it seemed like Kenny didn't cook much. It made a little more sense when he got back and poked his head in on Kenny to ask about it, and Kenny looked at him blankly, and then said he'd never used it, and wasn't really even sure where it had come from.

It felt like a good project, so Adam grabbed a couple of his beers and spent some time cleaning the grill. Along with a coating of dust on the outside, the inside had a slight chemical smell of factory newness. Adam figured that the least he could do as a guest was provide some meals during his stay, and also that Kenny would be easy to impress in that arena. 

After showering, he took Kenny's car and went and got supplies - charcoal, cooking utensils he hadn't been able to find in the kitchen, steak and vegetables to grill - and then sat outside and drank more beer while he tried to read the Wikipedia article for Lobo, but found it utterly incomprehensible. He gave up on that, went back to Kenny, and watched him play some fighting game for a while, until Kenny finally convinced him to play _Mario Tennis_. Adam made a decent showing, though Kenny won the most matches.

And then dinner - dinner felt like a _date_ , which hadn't been Adam's intention when he'd decided to cook, but Kenny kept thanking and complimenting him, like it was some sort of romantic gesture to throw a couple steaks on the grill, and _that_ gave Adam butterflies, and made him self-conscious about how he was chewing his food, which was ridiculous, because it was just _Kenny_.

"This is great, Pizz," Kenny beamed at him. "I have to admit, watching you out there, with the-" He flicked his hand towards the door to the back patio. "It's very, ah, very manly."

Adam snorted. "It's not like I went and hunted the meat myself."

Kenny waved the denial off and continued blithely, "We'll have to get you one of those, like, butch aprons that say 'Grill Master,' or something."

Which sort of sounded like Kenny wanted to keep him around, which Adam couldn't let himself linger on, but it was nice to feel useful for something besides fighting or fucking. He hooked his ankle around one of the legs of Kenny's chair and pulled it closer to his. "Kiss the cook?" He said with a slight smirk.

"Or that," Kenny smiled, then took Adam's face in his hands and kissed him.

All together it had been a very nice day, so it made complete sense that Adam would almost immediately find a way to send everything to shit.

-

"Love having me inside you, don't you?" Adam murmured, pulling lightly on Kenny's hair.

They'd been at it for awhile, taking advantage of the lack of time constraints to have the kind of slow, drawn out sex that made Adam feel like his skin had been peeled back and he was all raw, exposed nerve, and that left Kenny a sweat-soaked, defenseless mess.

"You know I do," Kenny said, practically a whine, like Adam was being mean by calling attention to it. He turned his head to the side as if trying to hide his face in the pillow, but Adam tugged him back with the grip he still had on Kenny's hair.

"Tell me," Adam said, and hoped it seemed more like it was to further Kenny's embarrassment than a ploy for his own validation.

Kenny's eyes were wide, wild with how much of the whites of them were showing. He opened and closed his mouth, then licked his lips. Adam couldn't quite tell if it was reluctance, or incoherence, or, as a familiar suspicion needled at him, Kenny trying to come up with what Adam wanted to hear.

"God, it's just - you make me," Kenny floundered. "I can't get enough. I don't - I'm not usually-" he broke off and shook his head.

"Such a slut?" Adam suggested. He was just teasing, expecting that Kenny would get huffy so Adam could fuck him pliant and whimpering again, but Kenny moaned, squeezing his eyes shut and nodding eagerly. "Yeah? You're a slut for me, huh?" He asked. He tried to keep his tone light, but he felt like some of the ugliness in him was leaking out as he was involuntarily reminded of every uncomfortable thought he'd had about Kenny with anyone else. With his eyes closed, Kenny could be picturing someone in Adam's place. "Or are you just a slut?" 

Kenny peered up at him, and again it was like he was searching Adam's face for the right answer, except that what Adam wanted was for Kenny to say _Yours - just yours_ , without having to think about it, which was just so, _so_ corny that Adam hated himself for it.

Like he knew he needed to course correct, Kenny arched against him, tugging Adam's head down, trying to get a kiss. Adam touched his tongue to the open seam of Kenny's lips, and Kenny latched on immediately, sucking on it, filthy and wanton, but it couldn't derail Adam's thoughts from their track as they went from, _Is this really for me?_ and, _Would you be like this no matter who you were with?_ to _Does it even matter who's fucking you as long as you - when you're just trying to - God, I'm a fucking idiot. I'm a rebound. That's all this is. I was actually starting to worry about inviting you home for Christmas, and this whole time I've just been a rebound. I'm pathetic._

The only explanation he really had for what he did next was that he was so unsure of what was real in that moment, that he felt like he needed something he could trust was genuine to anchor himself, and he knew where Kenny was vulnerable, the soft parts of him where Adam could prick to get an honest reaction. 

"Were you this desperate for Kota?" Adam asked softly, tracing Kenny's lower lip with his thumb.

"What?" It was barely a whisper, and as Adam's question visibly sunk in, Kenny looked utterly lost and betrayed for a moment, and then his eyes turned icey. "Stop. Get off of me," Kenny said, still a little breathless, but with an unmistakable thread of steel.

Adam was already pulling away. He felt like he wasn't in his body anymore, like he was so horrified at what he'd just done he was trying to disassociate to get away from it.

Kenny sat up and ran his fingers through his hair and left his hands on top of his head. "Why would you say that? Why would you-?" He shook his head helplessly. He looked so _hurt,_ and it was worse than if he'd exploded with anger. "Why do you want to hear something that will just make you jealous?" Kenny looked at him like he was dirt - like he was lower than dirt. "Do you need to hear that your dick is bigger? It is. There. Does that really fucking matter?"

"No, of course not," Adam said. "Fuck, I'm sorry." 

"They're my memories, not jerk off material," Kenny said, his hands making agitated motions in the air. Adam wanted to catch them, to stroke them calm, but he didn't dare. "You don't get to use them to - to feed your ego." 

"No, that's not - I know. I wasn't trying to-" 

"Just - don't. Don't. I can't." Kenny shook his head vehemently. His eyes were welling up, and Adam wasn't sure how he was going to live if he made Kenny cry.

After a suffocating moment of silence, Adam said, "I'll, uh - I'll go sleep in the guestroom." It came out like a question, and Adam wondered if he should offer to leave entirely, or if he should be insisting they talk about it. Probably that was what he was supposed to do. He knew the old adage about not going to bed angry, but he couldn't look at Kenny, couldn't sit in his own shame. 

Kenny sniffed, determinedly blinking back tears. "Yeah, I think you better," he said. He didn't sound mad, just sad and quiet, his voice cracking. Kenny got out of bed, and Adam averted his gaze when he stumbled trying to shake his leg free of the sheets. He shut himself in the bathroom while Adam pulled some sweatpants on and, in a blind rush, stuffed a couple of his things into his backpack before exiling himself from the master bedroom. 

In the other room, where the bed was perfectly made, and there was an alarm clock blinking the wrong time, and no sign of cat hair on anything, Adam dropped to the floor and rested his forehead on his bent knees. Through the pipes, he heard the shower running. Kenny wasn't going to come after him, and why should he? Numb, Adam opened his bag and pulled out the bottle there that he had wrapped in a t-shirt. 

He was an unforgivable, poisonous asshole, but thank God he'd had brains enough to pack the Jack Daniels. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this count as a cliffhanger?
> 
> I know a joke isn't funny if you have to explain it, but I still want to say that the joke with Lobo is that he was originally meant to be a parody of characters like the Punisher, but he got popular with people just taking it at face value, which I thought was a perfect comparison to The Cleaner.


	3. Monday you can fall apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional content notes: one gross joking reference to, but no actual occurence of, throwing up in the second paragraph.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read and left such nice comments, and very special thanks to my lovely tumblr anon for the extra boosts of encouragement.

"Fucking - seriously, Page?" He dimly heard Kenny's annoyed-sounding voice saying.

Adam tried to focus, to tell his eyes to open, but they refused to cooperate. His head hurt, and his mouth tasted like ass, but he was pretty sure Kenny wouldn't sound so pissy if he'd let Adam give him a rim job, unless he'd barfed on Kenny's asshole or something. That was probably a kink, probably had a name and everything.

Between the meandering thought, and the way it felt like he was on a water bed, Adam realized he was still drunk, so he did the only sensible thing, and went back to sleep

When he woke up again there was aspirin and a bottle of electrolyte water on the nightstand - and it wasn't the nightstand in Kenny's bedroom, and Adam remembered what had happened the night before - his royal fuck up, in all its humiliating detail. And he'd gone ahead and put another fuck up on top of it like a bow, because the bottle of whiskey was also on the nightstand, left in plain sight for Kenny to find, which shouldn't be a thing, because Adam was a goddamn adult, except it _was_ a thing, because he'd purposefully hidden it from Kenny, and been careful not to get too sloppy, just to grab a gulp here and there when he needed to calm his nerves, or couldn't sleep, and then covered it on his breath, and everything had actually been going well, this whole...experiment in domesticity. 

He'd been so _careful_ , right up until he'd fucked everything up, exactly like he'd been afraid would happen.

Adam gingerly sat up, popped a couple painkillers, and chugged most of the water. He had to think about damage control. The whiskey he'd probably just have to puff up his chest about, and hope Kenny would fold. But the other thing...

He wondered if he could pass it off as just some really unfortunate, terrible dirty talk. Kenny might buy that. He could be annoyed and grossed out for a little while by Adam asking for sex stories about his ex, and then they could go back to never mentioning Ibushi under any circumstances. 

With that as the working plan, Adam stumbled out of bed, brushed his teeth, took a deep breath, and went out into the hall. The door to Kenny's bedroom was open, the room empty. Kenny wasn't downstairs either. He'd left a note by the coffee maker for Adam to find saying he'd gone to PT. Dobby weaved between his legs and then flopped on his side and playfully attacked Adam's ankle. "You think I'm a piece of shit too, huh?" Adam said to him. 

He made coffee, then found a cat toy - a ribbon wand, and entertained Dobby for a while. He thought about leaving, but the last thing he wanted was for Kenny to catch him trying to sneak out like a kid breaking curfew. The longer he took thinking about it, the more he worried the window had closed, and then he heard the back door open, and it was officially too late. 

Adam froze in his seat on the couch. Dobby abandoned him to go greet Kenny, and was making little chirpy noises, and Kenny had probably knelt down to pet him, and it was probably really cute, and Adam could be over there, kissing Kenny good morning, and taking pictures of him and Dobby that would make him smile to look at later, except for the fact that he was a worthless sack of shit.

Kenny spotted him on his way towards the stairs, and stood still, looking at Adam for a moment with no discernable expression on his face, and then sighed. 

"I'm sorry," Adam blurted out. Kenny's gaze immediately shifted away. "I'm sorry. I can leave, if you want. I can get out of your hair."

Kenny steadfastly kept his eyes on Dobby, who in turn was watching the tail of the toy that was still dangling from Adam's hand. "This was supposed to be fun," Kenny said in a strange, flat voice.

" _This_?" Adam said, because it sounded like 'You,' to him.

"You and me, hanging out and having sex all week," Kenny said impatiently, waving his hands as if to encompass the concept.

It wasn't what Adam had expected, and he was caught off guard by the clipped tone when Kenny had seemed so fragile last night. "Sorry I'm not a blow up doll, fuckin' dildo," Adam stammered.

"A blow-up doll fucking dildo," Kenny said back like it was a single item, dry as a desert. It pulled a begrudging chuckle out of Adam.

"I think I just need to be alone for a little while," Kenny continued, and then looked slightly panicked, which was _some_ sort of emotion, at least. "I just mean, I'm going to go play a video game where I can kill zombies or something for a few hours. I don't want you to leave. That's- don't be ridiculous. You don't have to go."

It didn't do much to alleviate Adam's sense of being stuck sitting on death row, but he supposed Kenny didn't owe him that. All he could do was nod and say, "Okay. Whatever you need."

Kenny disappeared into his gamer den. Adam made himself some egg whites, ate, and cleaned up. He felt awkward about taking up such a central area of the house, so he retreated to the guest room like it was his time-out corner. Not long after, he heard Kenny venturing into the kitchen, so he'd probably been waiting for Adam to clear out, which didn't feel great. Before, Adam had found it nice that they could do their own things for chunks of the day. It had felt, well, like they were a cohabiting couple. Now it was more like roommates avoiding each other.

The afternoon crawled by: some easy body weight exercises, a shower, a nap. He left the door partly open in the hope that Dobby would come visit, but it was Kenny who eventually appeared while Adam was reading.

Kenny knocked lightly to get his attention and then said, "Can I come in?" when Adam looked up.

Adam nodded and didn't say, 'It's your house,' because he didn't think Kenny would appreciate it at the moment. He marked his page and closed his book. Kenny came over and carefully slid Adam's glasses off, folding and setting them down on the nightstand, then straddled Adam's lap and leaned down and kissed him.

Adam was surprised, but not unhappy about it, although there was a part of him that thought this was exactly what Kenny would do if he was about to stab him in the heart - only metaphorically, maybe, if Adam was lucky.

But Kenny just sighed and put his hands on Adam's shoulders. "I'm sorry if you were, I don't know, not having a good time," Kenny said, his eyes focused just off to the side of Adam's face. "I'm not used to sharing my space, and I've probably been a shitty host. I don't want you to think I'm not happy you're here."

"Okay," Adam said, his head spinning, at a loss, because that wasn't it _at all_. He didn't have a single issue with Kenny's performance as a host. He didn't think Kenny had done anything he needed to apologize for.

"And I-" Kenny exhaled heavily, and with considerably more effort continued, "I know I'm - that I get weird about...Ibushi stuff. It's just...hard, and I can tell it upsets you, or whatever, and I don't want that. You don't need to - you don't have any reason to be jealous, I promise."

Kenny's face was bright red. Adam was sure his wasn't too different. He felt like Kenny was being sincere with him, but also like that didn't make what he was saying true.

"Okay, I - look, I'm sorry too. Again. Still very sorry. I have been...jealous, and it's not cool. I need to - I need to do better," Adam said, trying to meet Kenny despite not being entirely sure where he was coming from.

The tension drained out of Kenny's body. "Okay," he said with a resolute little nod. "Can I, um - will you fuck me?"

It sort of felt like Kenny was working off some outline for how to handle conflict like an adult, but Adam wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth if it was going to get him off scot-free. "Yeah, of course. Do you have the-"

"We don't need it," Kenny interrupted, shuffling back and stripping with startling speed. 

"Pretty sure I can't fuck you without lube," Adam countered, bemused, but cooperating as Kenny tugged impatiently at the waistband of his shorts, lifting his hips to let Kenny pull them down.

Kenny knelt across his lap again. "I'm - I mean I," Kenny said, blushing, "I'm good." Adam was a little slow on the uptake, given Kenny's ineloquence, but when he reached around to grip Kenny's ass, he realized Kenny had already prepped himself.

He'd never - Adam had always stretched Kenny out on his fingers before fucking him, and he enjoyed doing it, but Kenny just being ready for him gave Adam the same sort of rush as a cheat day. He always felt - not guilty, exactly, but like the size of his dick made him hyper aware of the potential discomfort and limitations, and that it was on him to ease the strain as best he could.

Adam gave his palm a few passes with his tongue, and wrapped his hand around his cock, already turned on by the idea of Kenny fingering himself. He put his other hand on Kenny's hip to help him get lined up. and then he was sliding right into Kenny like he _belonged_ there. It was a stupid thing to think, but he thought it anyway - that it felt like his dick was the missing puzzle piece that completed Kenny, that Kenny needed him.

They still hadn't done anything to define their relationship, but having make-up sex, and then watching _Planet Earth_ curled up in bed together sure as hell felt like some relationship shit.

-

Adam asked Kenny to fuck him Monday morning, and was reassured by how delighted Kenny looked about it. He was getting more comfortable asking for it, when he had the urge, though he still sort of wished he didn't have to.

Kenny told him to finger himself - that he wanted to watch. Adam suspected it was out of laziness, though he couldn't really be annoyed when Kenny was so encouraging and appreciative. He rested his cheek against the side of Adam's ass that Adam's arm wasn't blocking, and couldn't seem to stop touching him.

"Fuck, I get it," Adam laughed. "You think I have a nice ass."

"You do. You really do," Kenny said, then bit him gently. 

Adam rolled over and gestured for Kenny to come on. He wanted to recapture what he'd felt on Friday morning, that cozy comfort, while they still had time. They'd avoided talking about work, or about anyone from work so far, but they were getting real close to having to be back in Jacksonville.

Kenny also had his weekly production meeting that afternoon, which Adam had to make himself scarce for. He supposed he could have listened in without appearing on camera, but watching Netflix and petting Dobby was a much more attractive option.

"We still have jobs?" Adam asked lightly when Kenny was finally off the call.

The pinched look on Kenny's face tied Adam's stomach in knots. "We might have to fight the Bucks again," Kenny said, eyes wary like he thought Adam would pitch a fit, which - fair, because Adam wanted to kick the tv or punch the wall or _something._ They couldn't. Adam _couldn't_ go through that again.

"We beat them once," Kenny offered, sitting down on the couch next to him.

"And you think we can beat the best tag team in the world a second time?" Adam said with as much derision possible.

Kenny either didn't notice the resentment or chose to ignore it. "Sure," he said easily. It wasn't very convincing, nor did it even sound like Kenny would be too bothered if he was wrong. 

As if the thought of facing Matt and Nick again wasn't bad enough - as if the thought of _losing_ to Matt and Nick wasn't bad enough, the thought of the belts not mattering to Kenny absolutely terrified Adam. Kenny could decide he was done vacationing in the tag division and waltz right into the world championship title picture any time he pleased, but Adam wasn't a champion without Kenny. He'd be lost, and he'd be _alone_. Kenny and Ibushi hadn't managed to stay together while still pursuing their singles careers _twice_.

"You know this is only the second title I've ever held?" Adam said, looking down at his hands clasped between his knees. "If I lose it…" Adam trailed off and just shook his head, not sure what he could tell Kenny that wouldn't sound completely pathetic or insane.

"That...doesn't sound right," Kenny said, like Adam might have just _forgotten_ a title reign. Maybe that was a compliment, or maybe Kenny was thinking he hadn't realized how big of a failure Adam actually was. What had he ever done that would have been memorable to Kenny Omega besides being Cody's stooge?

Adam sure as shit remembered when Kenny became the first US champion in a tournament where Adam hadn't even made it past the first round. He remembered when Kenny finally overcame Okada at _Dominion_. The only reason Adam remembered his own match from that night was because he'd been in the ring with legends.

"At a major promotion, yeah," Adam replied bitterly. "Three man in Ring of Honor, and this - nothing in Japan, and nothing in singles. One with the Bucks, one with you."

Kenny was silent for a moment, and then said, "Even if - _if_ we end up dropping them, you know there will be others, right? You're _going_ to be the world champion one day."

Adam chuckled mirthlessly. "No, I don't know that. And neither do you. There's - there's injury, there's illness, there's-" _just not being good enough_ , he couldn't finish out loud.

"Yeah, okay, you could walk outside and get hit by a bus tomorrow," Kenny said, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Look, I get it. I do. I _needed_ the IWGP Heavyweight title."

"And you got it," Adam cut in sharply.

"And it took a long fucking time to get there. And then I lost it, because that's how it works. And, by the way, while I had it? Wasn't exactly the best time." Kenny sighed and leaned back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "You know, I guess I - in retrospect, I almost would've rather had a run with the tag belts, I think, maybe. I regret never doing that." The _'with Ibushi'_ hung in the air like a physical presence.

He let his head loll to the side so he was looking at Adam again. "I'm glad I got to be one half of the tag team champions here, with you," he said softly, reaching over to squeeze Adam's thigh. "No matter what, I'm glad we got to do this together."

There was a melancholy note of finality to it that made Adam's throat tighten. No matter what Kenny said, Adam wasn't ready for his championship to end. He hadn't even wanted to do this. He didn't have any passion for tag team wrestling. But here he was, and he wasn't going to let the Bucks, or anyone else take it away from him. Not if he could help it.

-

"Let's...not do this next week," Kenny said as they were loading up the car, about to go pick up Nakazawa and head to Jacksonville. It gave Adam a jolt of anxiety, but there was a self-deprecating smile on Kenny's face, and nothing malicious in his voice, and it wasn't like he didn't have a point.

"Yeah," Adam said. "Deal."

Kenny was still smiling, rueful, almost apologetic. "We had our first fight."

"That wasn't really the first," Adam said, because he'd once busted Kenny's head open, and in return taken so many V-triggers he barely remembered the match beyond that, even though he'd been left painted in Kenny's blood, he'd still come out the loser.

"In the ring doesn't count!" Kenny protested.

"You trying to start another one?" Adam growled jokingly. Kenny's grin widened, became something real, and Adam took it as an invitation to push the bit further. He wrapped his hand around Kenny's left wrist, and very carefully twisted his arm behind his back. Kenny laughed, his eyes bright and excited, so Adam kissed him, cupping the back of Kenny's head with his free hand.

When he let go, Kenny's hands came up to either side of Adam's neck to keep him close, and he pressed their foreheads together. "But maybe the week after," Kenny suggested shyly.

It was probably a bad idea. It would probably be just another chance for Adam to make an ass out of himself. 

"It's a date," Adam said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy this shit tier meme I made:


End file.
